Mourning Simonis – Germany’s first Prime Minister has passed away

Simonis was elected Prime Minister in Kiel on 19 May 1993. She replaced Björn Engholm (SPD), who failed due to the aftermath of the Barschel scandal in 1987. First Simonis led a single party SPD government, then from 1996 to 2005 a red-green coalition.

Re-election failed due to a single opponent
Her political career ended spectacularly: in the election of the Prime Minister on March 17, 2005, a dissenter refused her vote in four rounds; this failed her re-election to the state parliament. At the time, after a tense state election, Simonis wanted to continue governing with a red-green minority government – backed by the South Schleswig Voters’ Association (SSW), the party of the Danish minority.

After her fall as prime minister in 2005, Simonis took over the honorary presidency of the children’s charity UNICEF Germany. She resigned from this position in early 2008. On 30 June 2014, Prime Minister Torsten Albig (SPD) granted Simonis honorary citizenship of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to be honored. Simonis has been increasingly suffering from Parkinson’s disease in recent years. On the occasion of her 75th birthday (4 July 2018) she was honored by the SPD with the Willy Brandt Medal.

“Social democracy loses important personality”
Politicians and parties reacted with sadness and great respect to the news of his death. The SPD party leadership recognized Simonis as an important advocate for social justice in Germany. “With Heide Simonis, social democracy loses an important personality who has written history,” said party chairmen Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil.

Schleswig-Holstein Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said: “I mourn the loss of a great politician and a passionate woman from Schleswig-Holstein”. The Prime Minister expressed his sincere condolences to the family. Günther said that Heide made Simonis Schleswig-Holstein even more likeable with her personality, her dedication, her humanity and her sincerity.

Scholz: Politician with “assertive style”
Wolfgang Kubicki, Vice President of the Bundestag, praised Simonis as a strong personality, a great prime minister, an extraordinary social democrat and a friend. With her years of political work, she has shaped Schleswig-Holstein and significantly increased the weight of the state in federal politics. Chancellor Olaf Scholz mourned Simonis on Twitter, praising her “assertive demeanor”.

According to Deputy Prime Minister Monika Heinold (Greens), Schleswig-Holstein has lost a committed social democrat in Heide Simonis. “As the first female prime minister in Germany, she encouraged many women to claim and assume leadership responsibilities,” said Heinold. She thinks back fondly on the nine years of cooperation in the red-green coalition. “Heide deserved to be able to enjoy her well-deserved retirement longer and in a healthier way.”